THE POSTMAN (PG-13)
Directed by Kevin Costner Running Time: 177 minutes Scheduled Release: December 25, 1997 (USA-wide)
Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey
* * ½ (out of four)
When I first heard about THE POSTMAN, the whole idea seemed very laughable to me. It's the future, the world has become a wasteland, and somehow, somewhere, a postman appears and becomes the icon of hope. A postman? A *postman*?!?! I thought to myself, "this must've been written by some underappreciated mailman in Nebraska or something". As it surprisingly turned out, THE POSTMAN had more to offer than I ever thought it would.
The plot *is* similar to what I said, but I'll rephrase for the sake of decency. It *is* the future (the year 2013 to be exact), and due to three-year winters, bizarre weather, war, riots, etc., the world population has seriously dwindled, the American government no longer exists, and the earth resembes the middle ages with machine guns. A nameless wanderer (Kevin Costner) traveling in search of food and water, finds a small village in the middle of nowehere, and decides it is the opportunity to charm his way to nourishment. Performing his own unique brand of one-man (and a horse) Shakespeare, he obtains the pity and food he needs.
Peachy keen? Not quite. General Bethlehem (Will Patton) is the leader of a KKK-influenced army that pillages and plunders small towns like the pirates of old. Yes, he even sports a nice beard. When his army arrives in the same small town, he wants more than supplies and food. He demands that all "eligible" males between the ages of 15 and 30 come forward. The plan is to turn each and every "eligible" man into a fighting machine for Bethlehem's brigade. To be considered "eligible", you can't just be fit, you can't have any black in you.
While our wanderer attempts to sneak away, he is spotted and forced to join the clan. Along with a few townsmen, he is taken to Bethlehem's training camp of sorts, where Bethlehem picks on him right away. After a battle of wits, Bethlehem derogatorily nicknames the wanderer "Shakespeare", and "Shakespeare" quickly becomes the "runt" of the group - he's the least avid to comply, the least to condone violence, and the one Bethlehem wants to see run into the ground. Naturally the movie wouldn't get too exciting if "Shakespeare" didn't escape, and so he finally does.
"Shakespeare" travels alone thru the bitter cold and finally takes up shelter in an old mail truck. Inside, he finds the skeletal remains of a postman, and quickly strips off the clothes to keep himself warm. He finds a lighter and starts his own makeshift fire out of old, undelivered letters. Curiousity gets to "Shakespeare", and soon he finds himself reading some of these old letters. An idea!
The next we see of "Shakespeare", he is entering another town, fully dressed as a postman and carrying a bag of letters over his shoulder. Once again, in an effort to obtain food and nothing more, he approaches the small city. With an outrageous tale of a "restored congress", "Shakespeare" claims to be a postman, just like before the world went to hell. Everybody rejoices at the news that back east the government is being renewed. The fable works, and quickly "the postman" finds himself being fed and bathed by the rejuvinated town. But questions start to arise, and "the postman" finds himself deeper in his own fabrication than he ever thought he'd be. "Is there a president?" one townsperson asks. Hesitantly, the postman replies, "Um, yes . . . Richard Starkey".
In this town, we meet a couple of central characters. One is the young black man determined to make something of himself. Going by the name Ford Lincoln Mercury (Larenz Tate), he is so determined to become a postman himself that Costner's character eventually swears him with pseudo-authority. We also meet Abby (Olivia Williams), a young wife whose husband can't conceive. She approaches "the postman" in the hopes that he will impregnate her so she and her husband can have a child. Will he do it?
It doesn't take long before Bethlehem hears of this allegiant revival. He quickly considers "the postman" a threat to his dictatorship. What beings is a hunt down for "the postman", and a war between Bethlehem's army and those who wish to believe in a restored United States. I was reminded of a mixture between BRAVEHEART and WATERWORLD. In fact, one of Bethlehem's comments refers to an issue that was a major factor in BRAVEHEART.
What THE POSTMAN is really about, is patriotism. We watch as young hope-filled eyes suddenly take on an aspiring radiance. It's corny as hell if you really look at it, but THE POSTMAN carries enough charm to likely win over a large sentimental audience. It's also surprisingly funny, and Costner's character was my favorite of all his characters I've seen. Patton was very cliched, and a lot of the film was very melodramatic, especially when you realize that you're supposed to be breaking down into tears over a postman. It's sappy and far-fetched, but it's also enamoring.
Kevin Costner seems stuck on making long, wannabe-epic films. THE POSTMAN is no exception. Nearly stretching to three hours, this film has a massive dose of overkill. Trim it by as little as thirty minutes, and you could've had a cute, albeit saccharine film. But the dopey premise is forgivable thanks to the load of sweetness. Let's just be grateful we didn't wind up with THE U.P.S. GUY instead.
December 17, 1997
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